Closing out the 2012-13 school year, Fulton County School Superintendent Robert Avossa counts the academic performance of North Fulton schools as one of the high points of the year.

“Our first focus is always academics so I’m proud of the academic accomplishments of the schools,” he said.

Avossa said he was also pleased with the achievements from the sports, arts and music programs, which earned statewide recognition.

The scores of local schools on the state’s new College and Career Ready Performance Index did not surprise Avossa, with the majority of North Fulton schools performing better than the average score for their grade level districtwide.

“North Fulton schools measured up quite well,” Avossa said.

Yet, SAT score may be a better indicator of performance in the eyes of many parents, he said.

“In North Fulton particularly that’s the number that I think people watch the most because that’s the entrance into college,” he explained. “When you look at that metric, I would argue that six of the 10 highest SAT scores are right here in North Fulton in the entire state.”

The superintendent said the opening of the new Cambridge High School in Milton this school year was a success and relieved overcrowding in other areas of North Fulton. Next year, Avossa expects student enrollment to increase by 1,500 districtwide.

“I’d say about half of the district growth is north of the Chattahoochee [River] … if you include Sandy Springs it’s more like 1,000 to 1,100,” he said.

Additional personnel will be brought in, and the superintendent’s proposed budget for next year includes a 3 percent raise for employees.

“I think recruiting and retaining top talent is always a primary focus of ours,” Avossa said.

Going into next year, he wants to place more focus on teacher and principal development and on the use and training of technology for teachers.

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